11 Feb 2016
Doha, 11 February 2016. Red Bull Salzburg claimed a convincing victory, by four goals to one, over Aspire Academy in a closely fought match on Wednesday evening, ensuring their continued progress and a berth in the semi-final stage of the Al Kass International Cup 2016.
The second game of the knockout stage pitted the runners up of group A, Aspire Academy, against FC Red Bull Salzburg, the winners of group C. In the group stage, Red Bull had shown themselves to be a resilient and well organised outfit, first beating Glasgow Celtic 3-1 and then narrowly losing to Estudiantes, of Argentina 0-1 with their qualification all but assured.
The match began with both teams making early attacking sorties without drawing blood until, on six minutes, Aspire were awarded a corner, which was swung in by captain, Nasser Alahrak. Abdul Rahman Nizha met the ball decisively and headed back across goal where Aspire’s number 7, Abdulrasheed Ibraham, scored with a low, crisp shot to make it 1-0. Aspire continued to push forward and, for the first 20 minutes, were the better side.
However, the balance of the tie definitively shifted on 21 minutes when, in one of Red Bull’s rare forays forward, midfielder Abdelahim Montie found himself in space on the left of the Aspire area, and his pinpoint cross was expertly dispatched by Kenan Kirim to make it 1-1. After that the Austrians took the control of the game and goals by Niklas Meister, Alexander Burgstaller and Can Cakir secured them the 4-1 victory and qualification for the semi-finals.
“The boys played very well and kept the pressure high throughout the match. It was one of our most consistent performances, but Aspire Academy were also a challenging side to play. I have been impressed by many of my players today, who put in a stellar performance. However there is always room to improve and we’re looking forward to our next match,” said Marco Rose, Head Coach of Red Bull Salzburg.
Ibrahim Shafie, Head Coach of Aspire Academy, commented on the game: “Today’s result doesn’t change how well the boys have performed at this tournament. Our goal is to develop as a team and there is nothing to regret from our experience here at Al Kass. I am very proud of my players and every game is an opportunity to get better for us. Red Bull were a great team and I would like to congratulate them on their win.”